Global community must not stay silent on anti-Shia pogroms taking place in Pakistan – by Rusty Walker

A video of the gruesome pogrom against Shia Muslims has recently emerged. Like others before it, it is being ignored – quite deliberately by Pakistan’s government, military, judicary and media. If there was a serious and honest uproar about Shia Genocide in the media and human rights industry in Pakistan, it would likely lead to important developments that would not only re-orient the nature of what is currently a destructive security State; it will also lead to similar relief for the various other groups that are being targeted by the same State-sponsored Jihadist militias. This should recognized and addressed as an integral part of the international vision of global terrorism.

This monstrous visual evidence in a video of a Shia genocide in progress is more than brutal, it is tragic and moving. In Chilas, 3 Apr 2012, up to 100 Shias were killed by the state-sponsored Deobandi-Salafist murderers, variously named Sipah-e-Sahaba, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat, among others. One watches in horror an immensely disturbing demeanor of normality across the wandering murderers as they go about their calculated killing with a sense of accomplishment on their faces. There is the looming sense of unfettered evil allowed with no threat of punishment to systematically eliminate a minority Muslim sect: the Shiites. Shiites constitute only 20% of Pakistan’s population and about 10% of Muslims worldwide.

The local media, and Pakistani and international mainstream propaganda continue to marginalize, if not depreciate, this on-going genocide as “sectarian violence.” Such nomenclature has the effect of devaluating the conflict as a historical pattern, as eyes glaze over, “oh, that’s been going on for centuries.”

An indispensable accessory to Shia Genocide in Pakistan is the controversial Pakistani Judiciary. The Chief Justice is first cousins with the notorious Law Minister of the PML-N Punjab Provincial Government, Rana Sanaullah. Sanaullah has publically supported the chief of Sipah-e-Sahaba, Maulana Ludhianvi, one of the most dangerous terrorist organizations in Pakistan. Most of us remember with horror, when this same Supreme Court released Malik Ishaq, the leader of SSP’s militant wing, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi. Who can forget that Malik Ishaq subsequently boasted about killing Shias publically as well as in the Supreme Court. Non-mainstream activists are already asking why this same judiciary can take notice of a slap inside a voting booth but remains oblivious when scores of Shia muslims are herded off buses and gruesomely gunned down!

To set further context for those who have not seen this: shown below is a video of the brutal massacre of Shias in Mastung Balochistan in September 2011. I include this to illustrate how the relentless killing of Shias continue unabated in Pakistan. Here is video of Mastung, Balcohistan massacre (September 2011, up to 30 Shiites killed):

The Rule of Law is perhaps the most important factor in a population’s security. Alarmingly, this is being compromised within Pakistan from Karachi to Quetta, from Islamabad to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and specifically from Gilgit to Chitral to Chilas and Mastung; not just by collusion of the security forces and local paramilitary, but the Supreme Court itself- the Islamist Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry has constantly proven an ideological affinity with the ISI, the Pakistani military, and the Sipah-e-Sahaba given not just his judicial record in their favor, but his public posturing- as the grim cliché’ goes, jihadists are “getting away with murder.”

Shias and Sunnis have lived and worked together for generations and this seems to be forgotten. It is the Pakistan Army, particularly its spy agency ISI, that is allowing this genocidal removal to occur. These are not your typical Sunnis; but the State-sponsored Jihadi militants (brainwashed Deobandi and Salafi-Wahhabi militants produced in Jihadi madrassas and Jihadist organizations under the watchful eye of ISI) who are responsible for Shia genocide in Pakistan. The killers have the backing of Pakistan’s powerful military establishment which routinely uses them for Jihdadist operations in Afghanistan, Indian held Kashmir, under various paranoia, and therefore turns a blind eye to their domestic massacres of what they consider to be impure Muslims. Tales are propagated of Pakistani Shias closely linked with Iranian Shias- there is no such conspiracy- Perhaps the wildest tale spun is counterintuitive to anything any Shia would ever be involved in: the accusation that Shias are allegedly Sabais, the Jewish agents! Jewish agents? Of course the source of such misleading propaganda are the Salafist-Deobandi jhihadists who are themselves Saudi-funded to promote international Jihad and Khilafat project.

The Pakistan military, mullahs and media are attempting to hide and discredit this video in Pakistan, as well as international audience. Unfortunately, foreign journalists working in Pakistan are being misled and unwittingly are blinded by the discourses and deceptions of local senior journalists who are working very hard to ignore this video, or characterize it as simply sectarian violence – “business as usual- what do you expect of rival religious groups” goes the faulty narrative. There are similar incidents which confirm the existence of an ongoing pogrom of Shias in Pakistan.

Although the bodies lie dead, bleeding and dying, it is difficult to see actual killings in the video; still one hears the ghastly gunfire and aftermath. I am posting the pictures of those brutally killed in the photos below.

They were first brutally tortured, then killed with stones. Acid was thrown on some of the slain Shias to burn them alive. ISI trained and prepared Jihadi-Doebandis for proxy war in Kashmir and Afghansitan, they are using ISI’s training to also kill Shia Muslims in Pakistan.

There is a different character in Chilas massacre. In all other events, it was hit, kill and run by only three or four killers, the Chilas massacre was much more heinous because a crowd of up to one thousand brain-washed Deobandi-Wahhabi militants were used by ISI-backed ASWJ-LeJ to attack and kill Shias in full public sight. The public became a willing part of the crime.

The most targeted community in Pakistan in terms of numerics is the Shia Muslim communities whose ethnic diversity is similar to the rest of the population. The Shia comprise between 15-20% of the total local population. The systematic targeting and massacres of Shia muslims has not received its proper attention, and when it does the label “ethnic violence” confuses and ultimately dismisses what might have been appropriate global sympathy, and the commensurate action to stop a state-allowed genocidal occurrence. I might point out that numbers do not have to be in the millions for a sect of hated people to be wiped out.

Pakistan’s mainstream media and human rights groups have either ignored or mischaracterized the on-going problem, but it certainly has not given it the attention it deserves. More often they have deliberately misrepresented this issue and created various false discourses either purposely or unwittingly, to shield criticism from the real reason behind Shia Genocide in Pakistan. This reason is the State patronage of extremist Deobandi-Salafi militias for Strategic Depth in neighboring India and Afghanistan. In order to protect the interests of the military establishment that dominates the State, both media and human rights groups have misreported the issue of Shia Genocide. The government itself does not dare make allegations toward a military industrial complex (the Pakistani Army/SI) that could create enough hostility among its own purveyors of loyalty, to launch a coup. So, the problem continues and people die- why? Because they are Shia- And these are intelligent, productive people. They are involved in universities, industries, commerce, and are law-abiding citizens of Pakistan; and they are being eliminated.

Today, in Pakistan, whether it is the Ahmadi Muslims or the moderate Deobandi or Barelvi, they are all being targeted by inter-linked groups, most of whom are part of the ISI-PTI backed Difa-e-Pakistan council. When the holocaust of Jews was going on in Europe during World War II, there was no social media to spread the horrors being faced by the Jewish communities in Krakow and Aushwitiz. I would hope that this attempt at a universal viewing that you have undertaken within this article, the brutality seen in Chilas and Mastung, the global community will begin to see the reality of this on-going attempt to eliminate a people before our eyes. Much of what is being documented is being collected by cell phones; many more terror and intent to murder are being planned as we write of these horrors; human rights violations are often kept secret by virtue of those understandably in fear. Numbers and records need to be collected and kept for future evidence. And, I remind you that the increasing body count in terms of numbers is important, but ultimately less important than the intent, and unceasing pattern of state-sponsored on-going atrocities that are continuing to be perpetuated against the Shiites of Pakistan.

This is the face of terrorism. This is the spectre of evil, and it must be stopped – now.

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About The Author

Rusty Walker

About the author: Rusty Walker is a world-travelled, Independent Political Analyst, educator, author, Vietnam veteran-era U.S. Air Force, from a military family, retired college professor, former Provost (Collins College, U.S.A.), artist, musician and family man. Rusty Walker is an ardent supporter of Pakistan.

Right from Hamid Mir to Najam Sethi, Ansar Abbasi to Nadeem Paracha, From Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy to Beena Sarwar, Orya Maqbool Jan to Ejaz Haider, there is complete and total silence on this video. No columns, no uproar, no activism, no human rights.

Shahid, on the contrary, LUBP does not want to “create sectarian hatred in Pakistan.”
If you read the article more carefully you’ll notice how often I point out that this is not about sectarian hatred:
“In reality…Shias and Sunnis have lived and worked together for generations and this seems to be forgotten.”
“…These are not your typical Sunnis; but the State-sponsored Jihadi militants.”

Ahsan Shah, More likely CJ Iftikhar Chaudhry will ignore the genocidal killing of Shias; This is an (self) award winning CJ that is a friend to the Taliban, Sipah-e-Sahaba and Lashkar e Jhangvi of Pakistan that will ignore Shia massacres, but can manage a Suo Moto and Notices on an incident of a Slap from a local political in Sindh!
His history of released terrorists on grounds of “Insufficient Evidence” the likes of Ghulam Rasool, Akram Lahori, Malik Ishaq and freely acknowledged to have killed 100s Shia innocents (not to forget Ishaq managed to kill eight witnesses against him from within jail)…No, do not look to the CJ for a Suo Moto- major reform is necessary in the criminal justice system before one can look to the courts for help. The people of Pakistan must move to help themselves in this regard, hopefully en masse
demonstrations, and by peaceful means if possible.

If a civilian govt like the current one (which is sympathetic to Shias) cannot stop these barbarians, no one else will have the capability or the will to do so. Be it PML-N, PTI or a dictator, they will all be avid supporters of the intolerant Salafi-Wahabi school which is Saudi backed.

This is a very well-researched post by Rusty bhai. He is writing those things which are deliberatey being ignored by local media. Also, the so-called liberal elites are mostly supporting Jinnah Institute which publishes pro-Taliban reports. Who is funding Jinnah Institute. Here in Pakistan, Govt. as can be seen has to sign on dotted line. But US government must not support Jinnah Institute or listen to Moeed Yusuf who sounds suspiciously like ISPR.

As an ex-PTI supporter (I am currently weighing options between PTI-Nazariyati and PPP), this is a welcome article. All the elite, especially PTI supportors are very insensitive to Shia killings in Pakistan. Thank you Rusty Walker for your posts on this topic.

Thank you, Bashir Malik,and thank you for calling me Rusty “bhai.” I feel the brotherhood.
Thank you, Shireen Khan – comments such as this are encouraging-
Yes, the JI report was a pro-militant-establishment document – it confirms that Pakistan, unfortunately, like our country the U.S., will continue to involve themselves in Afghanistan. Experts I have talked to, both U.S. militry and historians, believe Afghanistan must come to terms with its own problems and be left alone. The Jinnah Report contradicts that humane concept.
I have talked to so many good Sunnis, yes, Sunnis, and Shiites/ Hazaras that are family people that just want to be left to raise their families, work hard, and not have outside Deep state military or foreigners intruding into their lives all in the name of geopolitics.

@ Rusty : Thank you for this Article do you see any short term and practical solution to this pogroms what should we do to stop it???
@ Shireen khan : Please share more information and inside about PTI stance towards Shia Killing (Thank you).
@Shahid : shut up you IDIOT!!!!!

thanx rusty for such article.i really appreciate your effort.kindly make it possible that this article should reach the human right agencies that they should take notice the silence of media,govt n that stupid chief justice on such cruel acts.

When will the global community and Human rights Orgs catch on! And, now this:
“Quetta, Pakistan – A roadside bomb ripped through a bus in Pakistan Thursday, killing at least 20 Shia passengers and wounding 25 others, local media reported. The blast took place around 6.00 p.m. in Hazarganji area of Balochistan province, Xinhua quoted the Urdu channel AAJ TV as saying. About 50 Shia Muslims were aboard the Quetta-bound bus from Iran.”
LUBP today:
“20 Shias killed in Quetta again. Reason? Already stated; being Shias!”http://criticalppp.com/archives/81837

this is what we call it inhumanity.Still there is a huge perplexity on this matter of mass killings of Hazara community around in Pakistan, in the minds of everyone.These massacre are according to people from Hazara community disclosed the allegations of Secret agencies involved in all these targeted killings carried out on Shaias.But this is not the only solution to this grave problem one must go deep beneath the problem.This would be possible through proper well which would lead them to a proper solutions to this ongoing indiscriminate killings of Shia community in Pakitan.All these atrocities being carried out by the outlawed extremist organisation Lashkar i Jhangvi.But the motives behind these all killings still remains a puzzling question for everyone.Therefor it is high time that the responsible authorities take series and immediate actions against all these designed targeted killings of Shia community.Despite taking the sensitivity of the issue,the responsible stakeholders are abdicating themselves from there own responsibilities and blaming foreign hand in this massacre.The Pakistani society is under an abrupt decline in terms of socially an abnormal,psychologically ill and religiously an intolerant culture.The fanatical culture of our religious orthodox making it clear that the ultimate doctrine of their preaching is hater and death of their religiously opponent sects.Furthermore,this ought to be the collective responsibility of everyone including the civil society,human right watchdogs of Pakistan and the tacit role of International human rights industries to shoulder their responsibilities in this perplexed situation that is becoming more dangerous with every passing day.

gichki – That was a very thoughtful comment.
Pakistan is in an identity crisis, of which I have written. It was from the beginning. Pakistan is complex and the answers to solutions will be complex as they are dangerous.
I hesitate to answer questions on solutions- I have my own ideas, but the varied religious, secular and NGO, with the help of global support, Pakistanis must answer this; I will say this- they would have to be radical democratic grassroots (Arab Spring) level answers to get anyones attention.

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